He wraps his arms around me.

“Katniss,” my dad says starting to choke on his words. He pulls back and kisses me on the forehead. I go and sit down next to Peeta and he puts his arm around me. I can’t believe he actually showed up. I really thought he wouldn’t come. I’m still a little shocked that he came. I thought he would walk out on me. Leave me to have no parents, like Peeta. I am crying tears of joy. He is my everything right now. He came. He loves me. I am about to have my first conversation with my dad in ten years.

“Dad, why did you wait five days to come and see me? I thought you abandoned me again?”

“It’s a long story.”

“We have nothing but time.” He sits down, takes a breath and begins.

“Well, a couple weeks before the explosion you know I wasn’t home that much?” I nod my head. “Well instead of working in the mines, I and all the other miners went deep into the tunnels in a plan to overthrow the Capitol. Apparently the Capitol sent in spies and we got caught in the act. On the day of the explosion, Peacekeepers disguised themselves as coal miners and were heavily armed. We were planning on overthrowing the Capitol in a week when we were attacked. They threatened to blow up the mines if we didn’t go to the Capitol with them now. Most of us surrendered, including me. Some people fought like Gale’s father.Eventually the Peacekeepers just gave up and blew up the mines. The people that surrendered got out safe, the people that fought were most of the ones that were pulled out of the mine. Gale, your father was one of them. He fought and survived the explosion so the Capitol took him. He is alive. He’s just too afraid to meet you, but if you want to meet him he is a few doors down.” Gale takes a deep breath and he begins to choke up a bit.

“Do you think he would want to see me?”

“I know he would.” Gale gets up and walks out the door. I hope it goes well with him. He’s probably really nervous, but at least he knows that his father is fine, as well as mine.

“So if you were kidnapped by the Capitol how are you here?” asks Peeta curiously.

“Well, us miners were the first Rebels to rebel against the Capitol. We had a pretty good plan but all we did was hijack the hovercraft since there was twenty or more of us and only a dozen Peacekeepers so it was pretty easy. We eventually crash landed the hovercraft on the outskirts of Nine. We stayed out in the woods for a couple of years until we were found by some people that escaped their district. They helped us get fake district ID cards and we lived in Nine for a year. We never went to work though. We found an abandoned house and we would go there every day to think of ways to overthrow the Capitol. When we heard that the victors went back into the arena, then escaped and were going to overthrow the Capitol, we were on our way to Thirteen immediately. We were about halfway there because we were on foot when we found out that you were in Capitol. We decided to keep going to Thirteen so we could help when you guys when you came back. We came in time but I and Gale’s father weren’t ready to face you guys. So we became citizens of Thirteen after you guys left. But if it weren’t for us staying in Thirteen, Katniss you would be the only one alive right now and Paylor would still be out there.” I go up and give him a hug.

“Dad, I love you. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome sweetheart.” He kisses my cheek. Peeta leans up and shakes my father’s hand. I smile.

“Sir, you saved my life. Thank you, if it weren’t for you I couldn’t be with your lovely, beautiful, caring daughter,” says Peeta. He smiles and gives me a kiss.

“Oh, that’s right, ‘The Star-Crossed lovers from Twelve.’ Well I’m pretty sure this Rebellion is over, you can leave the act behind now,” says my dad. Peeta and I just look at each other, since we don’t know what to say. He still thinks it’s an act. He was in the few district citizens that knew about our spiel. I barely choke out any words.

“Dad, that wasn’t an act,” I say.

“What do you mean it wasn’t an act? You’re just dating for the public, right?” He says.

“Well, we were three or four years ago. Now….we are….married.” My dad is in shock. How did he not know? The entire nation of Panem knows.

“Sir, please don’t be mad. I love your daughter with my entire heart, she’s my life. Without her I have nothing,” says Peeta.

“This is real? You two are really married and it just isn’t for publicity?” he asks. We both nod our heads. We show him our rings. It’s real, and he needs to accept it.

“Wow, when did this happen?” he asks.

“We’ve been dating each other for real, for two years. We just got married a month ago,” I say. He just nods his head, but he’s silent. This is a lot to put on someone that you haven’t seen in ten years. I just can’t believe that he had no clue.

“How could you be married, you’re too young!”

“I’m going to be twenty in two days!”

“Peeta, when will you be twenty?” asks my father in an annoyed voice.

“In October sir,” says Peeta in a very nervous tone.

“Both of you are way too young!”

“Dad, I know this is the first time we’ve seen each other in ten years but ever since you ‘died’ I’ve been taking care of myself and my family that you left behind. Now that, that family is dead you just can’t decide to come back and then tell me how to run my life. I’ve been taking care of my life for eight years. This is how I’m choosing to live my life. I want to be married to Peeta and I want to start a family soon because I want the family I never had! I love Peeta and you should be happy for me. I thought you were better than that.” I storm out of the room. Peeta comes running out after me. I don’t stop until Peeta grabs my arm.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

“Just because he was my father for twelve years, then abandoned us for eight years and then just all of the sudden comes back into my life doesn’t mean he can just control my life,” I say.

“Katniss, he is your dad. If he never died you would probably still be listening to him. But since you are so used to being in charge, you’re not used to the discipline. It’s what parents do.”

“So you’re on my dad’s side? You don’t want to be with me and have a family with me because we are too young?” He puts his hands on my shoulders.

“Of course not. I love you and I will always be on your side. But he’s your father and you have to respect your parents. I respected mine even though my own mother hit me. It’s one of the hard things in a family, especially if you hate them.”

“But I don’t hate him. He was my best friend when I was younger. I don’t like fighting but he’s not respecting me and my life.” I’m starting to cry a little. Peeta wipes away my tears. What happened to my father? He used to be my best friend and now he’s an alien that I don’t recognize.

“He’s not used to being a parent again, you have to give him time to see the new you. He hasn’t seen you in eight years, you have to at least give him a chance.” I smile and nod my head. He gives me a kiss on the cheek and we walk back into the room. But when we get there he isn’t in there. There is a not on the bed. It read,

Katniss,

Where do I begin? I’m so proud of my little girl. You have done something no one could ever do. You were a leader and you won the Rebellion, twice. You’re the Mockingjay. Know that I was doing all I could to help every step of the way. I love you darling, always remember that. You obviously don’t want me in your life right now. I hope you’re happy with Peeta and your family that you so desperately want. You two will be great parents, I just know it. I want you to know that I will always love you but you’re grown up now and you don’t need me. That will probably be the last time you see me. Good bye for now.

Dad

“He’s gone. Because I was a brat he’s gone!” I say. Peeta lays down and pats on an open space right next to him. I lay down next to him and I cuddle up next to him. He puts his arm around me.

“You’re not a brat, you’re the best person there is to know. If he was a good father he would stay. Don’t get me wrong, he’s probably a great father but he’s just not there for you,” he says. He’s right. But I know that I am a brat and Peeta knows to. How can he stand me? I am a terrible person. I guess that’s what love can do. No matter how anyone acts, you can’t help but love them.

“Thanks, but I feel like I finally had my family back again but I let it slip through my fingers.” He kisses my forehead. “Peeta, you make me feel like the most important girl in the world but I don’t know how I’m going to get over this. He was the only family I had left and now he’s gone. After eight years of not even knowing he was alive I found him and know I felt like I blew it.”

“I’ll be your family.” I lock eyes with him and kiss him. He smiles and I do to. He just made my heart melt. He will be my family. He’s the only family I need to be happy. I love him so much.

“Thank you.” I rest my head on his shoulder.

“Come on, get up,” he says getting up.

“Why? Where are we going?”

“We are going to find your father.”

“Why? He said that we are adults now and that we don’t need him. He doesn’t want me any more. Plus you said you’d be my family. What more could I ask for than that?”

“Katniss, we’re family now and family doesn’t let other family members be sad. Now get up or else we’ll miss him.” I run up to him and give him a kiss.

“Thank you, I love you so much for doing this for me.” He smiles.

“Lets go.” We run down to where Gale and his dad is. When we go in there Gale and his dad are laughing about something. This is the first time I’m meeting Gale’s father. I’m a little nervous, but I don’t show it.

“Mr. Hawthorne, do you know where my father went?” I ask.

“No, sorry,” he says. We start walking out the door when he stops us. “Wait, he told me before we came to talk to you kids that after all of this he was going to go to his favorite spot, wherever that is,” he says. I run up to him and give him a hug.

“Thank you so much.” While we are hugging he starts to whisper into my ear.

“Peeta is a lucky man to have you. I’ve heard so much about you and how you were almost Gale’s girl. You sound like an amazing person and I can’t wait to be formally introduced to you.” I smile then Peeta and I run out of the room. We start running down the hall and to the hovercrafts.

“Where are we going?” asks Peeta.

“Twelve. We are going to the lake. He’ll probably be in the cabin. We don’t have a lot of time though because who knows where he will be after that.” Once we get to the landing/take off station a rebels stops us.

“Katniss and Peeta?” he asks. Why would he ask that question? We are the face of Panem.

“Yeah,” I say.

“You may not leave the Capitol until the execution of Paylor is done and you get your reward,” he says. I start to walk away, giving up hope when I hear a slam. When I turn around Peeta has the rebel pinned up against the wall.

“Listen, I don’t want any violence. That is my wife and she just found her long lost dad that she hasn’t seen in eight years. She thought he was dead. He fled off to Twelve to remember some old memories. Ever since we got married we have had nothing but trouble. We have been through a lot together and today she was on cloud nine because she found her father. I love her and I have seen her unhappy too much lately. The last thing I need is seeing her more unhappy, because seeing her with a frown on her face kills me every time I see it. Now all we ask is for you to get in a hovercraft and take us to Twelve just so we can get her father then we will come right back and no one will have to know because we will be that quick. You will let us through and you will not tell anyone because we have more power than you.” says Peeta. The rebel is terrified and lets us in and we get into a hovercraft, then we are off. I can’t believe Peeta said all of that just to make me happy. He is the best husband a girl could ask for. I knew he loved me but I never in a million years would think that he would do something like that for me. It just blew my mind. Once we sit down on the hovercraft I cuddle up to Peeta and I hold his hand.

“Thank you for doing that. That really meant a lot to me,” I say. He smiles.

“You are the love of my life and I hate seeing you sad. Remember what I said to your mother when you two were fighting?” he asks. He brought up my mother, like she was still alive, but she isn’t. It hurt, but I ignore the pain.

“You told her that when I’m upset, you’re upset.”

“Exactly that. And I will hold that sentence until the day I die because I love you with my whole heart.”

“I remember that on that day how I felt. When you said that, I knew that you weren’t just saying it because you loved me. You said it because you really meant it. After that I knew that I was going to be with you for the rest of my life.” He smiles then kisses me on the cheek.

“Anything to keep you happy.” The ride to Twelve seems a lot longer than I remember. When we get there, we land right in front of our home. Our home, that I haven’t seen in a month. Our home that Peeta and I have shared for two years, and where we will raise our children. The house where on the first night Peeta and I spent the night with each other, after the Games, was the first time he told me he loved me. That night when he told me he loved me, I thought it would be the last time. That night my heart melted. That night was also the first night we had our first real kiss with each other. That night was when I knew that Peeta was the one for me. I’m standing in front of our house when I was thinking about all of this when Peeta comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist and kisses my cheek.

“What are you doing?” he asks. I sigh.

“Thinking about the first night you spent here,” I say.

“That was one of my favorite nights we spent here.”

“Mine too,” I say looking at the house.

“I think we better go find your dad before leaves.” I completely forgot that we were here for that. So I just nod my head and we start heading towards the woods. He grabs my hand and it reminds me of the night he proposed. Twelve has so many memories for me and Peeta, I don’t know if I’ll be able to leave after this. We start to run towards the woods. Once we get to the lake I don’t see my father anywhere. Peeta runs into the cabin to see if he’s in there and he doesn’t see my father either. I sit down on the ground and just look at the pond. Peeta sits next to me and puts his arm around me.

“Don’t be so upset. It’s just not the right time for you and your father. You said when you were little you guys were inseparable, odds are it will probably happen again. I think you two are still just in shock because you thought he was dead and he thought he was never going to see you again. This takes a lot of time to set in. Now, I do think though that we laid it on pretty thick telling him we were married since he still thought we were the Star-Crossed Lovers. But give him time, he’ll eventually come along,” he says. Peeta Mellark. No longer the Boy with the Bread. In my eyes he is now the man that always knows what to say.

“Yeah, I know. But actually I’m not that upset. I mean my life was perfectly fine but he came along and he saved it. I mean everyone, including you, would be dead if he didn’t come along, but I feel like that’s really the thing he did good for me in my life. I mean, he basically rejected me when I told him we were married. It really made me think if you asked him to marry me, if he would say yes? He barely knows you but I wonder if he would ever like you. You really opened up to me in the Games and he told us that he watched. You only didn’t open up to me, but the whole country and my father was one of those viewers. We were the face of Panem for years and all of Panem really loved you. How could my dad not be one of them? If he was alive these past years would we even be married?” I ask. This takes him aback. He didn’t know what to say for a moment. But he figures it out.

“I’m sure if we get to know each other that everything will be fine.”

“But what if I do never see him again? Then what will happen?”

“We have our whole lives ahead of us, that is what will happen. We are going to be with each other forever and we are going to have a great family together. Your dad will come around, we just need to give him space.” I put my head on his shoulder.

“You just want to go back and pretend all of this never happened?”

“Whatever makes you happy.” He gets up and reaches for my hand. I get up off the ground and I refuse to look back at the lake because that will be the last time I see it. I will not go back. Too many memories. I start to hear my name being yelled from a distance. I still refuse to turn around. I tell Peeta to start walking faster. The person behind us starts to catch up to us. I see our house and the hovercraft. I let go of Peeta’s hand and I stop. I want to keep running but I feel someone pulling me back. I don’t turn around.

“Katniss we need to talk.”

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...Yeah, don't really know what to say at the end of this other than Katniss loves her dad. She really does, but she kind of loves Peeta more. Vote if you liked the chapter and comment what you liked and disliked!

Love, Bookjunkie001